


And into the future.

by Lisahey



Category: 7 Seeds
Genre: And Aramaki is a burnt cinnamon roll, Ayu is really into consent, F/M, Fluff, Friendship and romance, Horny Teenagers, Post-Canon, character exploration
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-20
Updated: 2020-04-20
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:08:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23754376
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lisahey/pseuds/Lisahey
Summary: (Hopefully) A collection of one-shots exploring the development of the relationships between our favorite characters. Spoilers for the end of the manga.
Relationships: Aramaki Takahiro/Ayu
Comments: 4
Kudos: 12





	And into the future.

"Taka-san. Would it be alright for me to touch you?"

They've been standing in a low, gently moving stream, collecting the edible plants that grow there. Any more people would kick up the soil of the streambed, muddying up the water, and so the task has been assigned to them while the rest of the group works on their budding vegetable fields. Kuroda and a couple other dogs are napping in the shadow, their ears twitching now and then as they take in the sounds around them.

Now that their work is finished, Aramaki and Ayu rest and dry up on the sunlight. "Rest" is still a new concept for Ayu, but ... nobody's watching; not anymore. Nobody's there to judge her. She can do what she wants, when she wants, with nobody there to stop her.

And what she wants, right now, is to touch Taka-san. The desire is strange -- somewhat instinctive, and partly driven by curiosity. At the thought of it, a pleasant fire lits in her belly. Taka-san's body is covered only by a pair of tattered shorts, and his wet skin glistens in the afternoon sun.

 _There is nothing wrong with wanting to touch the person you love_ , had said Hana-san – who is becoming slightly less odious by the day.

On the other hand, Fujiko-san’s lecture on sexuality (which started as she became acquainted with Team Summer A’s dismaying lack of education on the topic) had been less emotional, and more enlightening.

Aramaki looks somewhat puzzled at her request. "Of course it would, Ayu-san," he says, and the light in his eyes is warm and kind.

However, when Ayu places her hand on his thigh, he jumps, his face abruptly going red as he realizes –

"A-Ayu-san...!?"

Ayu stops, and, for a moment, they look at each other. Aramaki's face turns a deeper shade of crimson, and after a few seconds he looks away, his gaze drawn to her hand.

He says nothing more, and so she slowly continues.

The muscles of his thighs are lean and strong. She traces his quadriceps with her fingers; and, as her touch moves towards his inner thighs, he stutters, "U-um..."

She waits, but he doesn't tell her to stop.

Instead, he sighs and stares at the ground with great interest as her hands move to his abdomen. His body is thin, but wide and tall and strong. Muscles twitch under her inquiring touch, and when she traces the side of his ribs, he shudders.

Meanwhile, Aramaki is having a small existential crisis. Is this alright? Should he move away? While he can hardly be called a proper adult, Ayu-san is still much younger than he is. He is inexperienced, and foolish -- undeserving of her affection. He doesn't know where to put his hands, how to react. Her touch is firm, then gentle; massaging the knots in his muscles, then tickling his skin with a feathery touch.

Awkwardly, he puts his arm around her shoulders. Not because he wishes to hold her down, but because –

After _so_ long, such a long time being on his own, with only (and the memory still tears a wound on his chest) Fubuki and Mitsuru-san for company, the touch of another human being is...

Overwhelming. Overflowing. Before he can catch himself, he's leaned into her shoulder-- shamefully.

Ayu, however, doesn't seem to mind. Her touch has moved towards his back, tickling the tissue of sensitive scars, and this renewed closeness allows her to set her remaining hand on his knee, massaging the cartilage there.

Aramaki breathes out. As Ayu continues to explore, she finds the deeper scars left over from that fateful day. While she traces them thoughtfully, she doesn't mention them, doesn't ask. Her hand climbs higher, reaching the back of his neck, which is... _stupidly_ sensitive. It's ridiculous, he thinks. He has touched that area himself before, has massaged the tension accumulated there -- and it... hadn't been anything like this. As he leans into the feeling (her fingers, slender and strong), nearly keening with it, Aramaki is reminded of the way his four-legged companions had grinned and whined and leaned into his touch as he scratched the back of his ears. He is reminded, as well, of distant memories, of huddling together in cold nights, sharing much needed body heat, warm breath against his skin.

There is something similar in the way Ayu-san is holding him now. Her breath tickles the skin of his neck. "Taka-san," she murmurs, and the sound of her voice makes his skin prickle and burn. The intimacy of the situation, the way she’s holding him, without disgust, like she—like she _cares_ for him – it’s almost too much.

His eyes are stinging; and, while Aramaki doesn’t pay much attention to it at first, the moment Ayu notices, she freezes. When she pulls back, he feels cold – feels, selfishly, like holding on.

“Have I upset you?” Ayu-san is staring at him with concern. Snapping out of his blissful haze, Aramaki realizes his cheeks are wet.

Absolutely flustered, he hurries to wipe his eyes. “N-no, Ayu-san, I don’t know why I’m…” – she continues to stare, which does not make things much easier – “It…,” he squirms, but the possibility of her walking away thinking she has upset him is even more ghastly than the alternative. “You haven’t upset me. On the contrary, I…,” he dares to sneak a peek towards her face – beautiful and collected, the frown having faded from her expression.

Clearing his throat, Aramaki forces himself to squeeze out, “…It felt good. Thank you, Ayu-san.” Should he be thanking her? He’s not sure anymore. Nervous, he keeps babbling— “It might be that I’m not used to…” Finding he doesn’t know how to describe what—what this _is_ , Aramaki chuckles awkwardly, and nearly jumps as Ayu-san touches his hand with her own. Their fingers seem to naturally interlace.

“Taka-san.” This time, he can’t look away from her eyes. “Would it be alright for me to kiss you?”

His heart might just jump out of his chest, and Aramaki is certain he will end up making a fool out of himself.

“Yes,” he whispers.

**Author's Note:**

> Am I the only one who's enamoured with the idea of Fujiko being absolutely horrified to find out how little knowledge Team Summer A has about sexuality, and immediately declaring they MUST undergo a sex education class? I mean, even Ban probably has a terrible lack of awareness regarding sexuality; since they all were likely only taught that sex only led to reproduction. As per Ango's flashbacks, the boys weren't even taught wet dreams; and the girls weren't given proper information about their period and developing bodies. THEY ALL NEED A SEX ED CLASS, GODDAMIT!
> 
> Other than that, this began as an exploration of a couple's budding sexual relationship, and as I wrote this, it slowly dawned on me that Aramaki is too much of a damaged cinnamon roll, and that he'd most likely c r u m b l e at the first sign of physical affection and intimacy. He needs to take baby steps, and I feel that would suit Ayu just fine. Speaking about her, she hates assault so much that she probably kept asking about everything at first -- or, at least, I like the idea of her doing that. 
> 
> Next daring step: head scritches.


End file.
